Matteo Renzi - could he be the next victim of the global anti-establishment backlash? PAimages/Pablo Martinez Monsivais. All rights reserved.
In less than two weeks, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi might become the next victim of the current anti-establishment global trend - which started last summer with Brexit and was recently epitomised by the elections in the US - as Italy prepares to vote for a constitutional reform that many Italians perceive as a plebiscite on the prime minister himself as well as a chance to subvert the status quo in one of the founding member states of the EU.
The referendum is staked on a complex change to Italy’s constitution that the PM and his allies argue will make the country easier to rule by disempowering the upper chamber of parliament, the Senate. Proponents claim the reform is necessary to get rid of the byzantine bureaucratic system and encourage major investments, both locally and from foreign investors.
